We live in an age of unprecedented complexity. Technology has woven a dense web of interconnected systems, globalisation has blurred geographical boundaries, and the daily volume of information bombarding us can be overwhelming. To worsen matters, a lot of information presented is unvalidated/inaccurate opinions, or pure fabrications falsely presented as “facts”.
It requires strong critical thinking skills to discern truths from falsehoods, especially when it is disseminated by our peers. And the evidence suggests this is too hard for most people. Bad information is very similar to Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF); delicious (because it supports our biases and opinions), addictive (because it arouses emotions), and ultimately destructive (because it erodes core values, logic, and common sense).
Bad data adds significantly to the complexity of our world, by creating divisions and wasting resources countering the misguided opinions of misinformed people. Paradox As societies strive for food security, the technical, social, and economic strategies devised become increasingly complex over time. This creates a curious paradox: the very solutions designed to address such major problems often generate new, larger issues that require even more complex solutions.
Collapse Joseph Tainter, in his 1988 book, The Collapse of Complex Societies , explored thousands of years of human history to derive a plausible framework for understanding this paradox. He argued that as societies evolve, th.